While the Trust has no ownership or approvals to use the market gardens for burial use, it was granted a licence over one of the lots, owned by Crown Land, in 2010 to investigate if the land was feasible for use.

A Save the La Perouse Market Gardens spokesperson said the decision by Crown Lands to hand management directly to the Trust had delivered a valuable ‘bargaining chip’ which the Trust is now playing in its claim for public land around Bumborah Point.

Ahead of tonight’s Randwick Council meeting Greens councillor Murray Matson said: “It is time that we identify a date by which Botany cemetery is officially designated as full and closed to the use of new burials”.

“This will then require a recognition that a new site has to be found elsewhere in Sydney,” Cr Matson said.

Randwick deputy mayor ­Anthony Andrews said the proposal was a “win-win” for the community. “We will maintain our market gardens but also ­address the issue of shortage of burial spaces.”

Chief executive of SMCT, Graham Boyd, said he wasn’t able to comment on the proposal, because of “protocol policy reasons”.